It’s a tale as old as time – you look around the gym and see the cardio section jam-packed with women. Men of all ages and sizes monopolize the weights and machines. Unfortunately, women often hesitate to venture over and participate in weight training. And while cardio is a fantastic workout, there are certain benefits that are specific to resistance training such as increased strength, muscle density, metabolism and sleep patterns.

I thought it important for me to write about why you should increase your weights because I think most women over fifty don’t use enough. Slow and steady is my mantra but if you are using three or five pounds weights and can easily work through one of my tapes, it’s time to go up. I do advocate starting with low weights because I think until you know your body and strength, safe is always best. I generally suggest weights in the three to eight pound range because I feel that’s a good amount for women over fifty who have never done resistance training before. With that said, if you are running through your workouts without any strain you are not going to see the changes you want.